Books: Jeff Bauman, 'Stronger'

Sunday

Apr 6, 2014 at 9:25 PMApr 12, 2014 at 9:04 AM

Before the first bomb exploded, Jeff Bauman was waiting for his girlfriend near the Boston Marathon finish line, a regular guy, "kind of lost, who didn't know what direction my life was going.''He thought the first blast was fireworks but was confused by the chaos and why he was on the ground. After the second bomb, he saw "people going crazy all around me'' and felt "I was going to die."Bauman survived with the help of strangers.A memorable photo, flashed around the world, of a dazed and bloodied Bauman being rushed in a wheelchair through the crowd by a man in a cowboy hat and two others made his survival from horrific wounds an inspiring story in a terrible day.Bauman tells that story in "Stronger,'' an honest, intimate memoir of an Every Dude who found the strength to survive in the devotion of his family, friends and loyal girlfriend – now his fiancé - and the generosity of a community."I just wanted readers to hear how so many people came to my side and thank them all,’’ said Bauman in a recent telephone interview. "A lot of people know what happened to me. This is my life after the photo. I’m not down. I still continue to live life the best I can. All the survivors are doing their best. The book is a cool opportunity to tell our story.’’Cast by chance in the national limelight, Bauman became the human face of a city that refused to be intimidated by an attack on a revered institution like the Boston Marathon.Written with Bret Witter, "Stronger’’ conveys in Bauman’s candid voice the shock and pain of losing his legs and the emerging awareness of community support that kept him going through an arduous recovery.Never posturing, he speaks of a foreboding encounter with alleged bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the difficulties of rehabilitation and the newfound demands of his celebrity without pretension or pseudo-heroics.After the bombing, Bauman told his family and the FBI that he’d "seen the bomber’’ moments before the blast and described him as "Taller than me. Stubble. Light skin.’’Staring at Bauman, the man with the dour look, sunglasses and baseball cap pulled low seemed out of place amid the good vibes around the finish line.After briefly turning away, he looked back but the man was gone with only his backpack remaining.While hospitalized, Bauman spent two hours with an FBI sketch artist and was later told his help had been "essential’’ in identifying Tsarnaev.Asked why he’d noticed him, Bauman wrote in "Stronger": "He was all business. It’s the phrase that jumps to my mind whenever I picture Tamerlan Tsarnaev. He was a bad dude. Not bad like cool, but bad like angry. Troubled. One look and you knew he was not someone to mess with. He’d punch your teeth out for just bumping him.’’Almost a year later, Bauman said, "I don’t waste my time on bitterness’’ toward the Tsarnaev brothers, the alleged bombers."Obviously, I don’t like them. They hurt other people really bad. They wasted their own lives. They did that one thing and now don’t have lives,’’ he said.Asked whether the Marathon attack was an act of terror or individuals’ criminal acts, Bauman replied, "I don’t think there’s a difference.’’"(Tamerlan’s) motive was to terrorize – to scare and hurt and murder people. It’s terrorism whether they were in an organization or not,’’ he said.Bauman wrote with obvious affection for "the man in the cowboy hat,’’ Carlos Arredondo, a Costa Rica immigrant and activist who’d lost two sons to war and suicide yet rushed to help him after the blast and rendered critical aid.Perhaps more than the drama of the bombing scene, Bauman details the often-painful details of recovering from double amputation of his damaged legs and the weary process of learning to walk with prosthetics.Now 28, he’s looking forward to "living a normal life,’’ returning to work at Costco "who treated me like part of their family’’ and helping in the prosthetics field to assist others adapting to artificial limbs.Bauman is engaged to his girlfriend, Erin Hurley, and they’re expecting a child in July. "Erin has always been by my side,’’ he said. "That’s why I asked her to always be part of my life.’’Bauman expects to attend the coming Marathon and cheer teams from Costco and Nashua, N.H., that are running for him.If his book has a message, Bauman thinks it parallels the idea reflected in the slogan "Boston Strong:" People helping people.’’"I needed help to live. I got my strength from others. There’s life beyond losing my legs,’’ he said. "It was a lot to deal with but you’ve got to move forward. I learned you can get through anything.’’Chris Bergeron is a Daily News staff writer. Contact him at cbergeron@wickedlocal.com or 508-626-4448. Follow us on Twitter @WickedLocalArts and on Facebook.